Is Abbey of Montmajour Worth a Visit

It would be easy enough to skip the Abbey of Montmajour as you are rushing to Arles for a Feria du Riz or for lunch in St Remy on a lively terrace.

Don’t skip by – it is magical!

At the height of the season, the Abbey’s parking lot is full of buses. However, if you time it right (May and September are better), you may just have the remains of this historical monument (since 1840) practically to yourself.

Situated on Saint Peter’s hill outside of Arles, this impressive Benedictine Abbey began as a humble hermitage in the 10^th century. As the religious order’s influence magnified so did the structures on the hillside. The Romanesque church and cloisters were built during the 12^th century. The Tower of Abbot Pons de l’Orme rose to 26 metres in height after 1369 built for defensive purposes, and finally the18^th century Saint Maur Monastery.

There are two things that struck me during one of my recent visits:

• The scale of these buildings
  1. The already voluminous church was planned to have five additional bays.
  2. The monastery was at its peak 8,000 sq meters the largest in France.
• It was an island surrounded by marshland

Yes, Abbey of Montmajour is Worth a Visit. Check out Christian Lacroix’s view here.